Excerpt

For over a half of century I have been observing pastors and churches. During that time the church has gone through some alarming changes. In the 50s and 60s there was a church pioneering spirit with many new churches springing up and many small churches regularly boasting of growing rapidly.

In the 70s and 80s outreach was alive and well with church backyards filled with buses being cleaned and made ready for Sunday routes. Saturdays were filled with excited childrens workers busy building their Sunday School classes and bus workers building bus routes. Gods people were out on visitation, walking neighborhoods trying to find people to come to church with them.

Church invitations were graced with decisions for Christ and Christians rededicating their lives to God. Special days were planned for with excitement, because it was almost certain a record breaking day would be seen. Teenagers assembled on visitation night to pile in a car and visit some teen prospects. Sunday School teachers met their students at church at 7:00 one evening to go on visitation together. Church life was good.

The 90s and early 2000s saw church growth with the brakes on in most cases. Sunday School classes turned inward and enjoyed each other more than visitors. Baptisteries were no longer filled every Sunday, but only occasionally if needed. The church leadership spent more time selecting the color of carpet than ministering to the spiritually hungry. More pastors received degrees and fewer pastors went soul winning. The internet took the place of the Holy Spirit in sermon preparation. Music took the place of biblical worship and relational preaching took the place of Holy Ghost power in the pulpit. Teenagers lost the meaning of serving Christ and traded it for entertaining self. Intercessory prayer was replaced with activities and sports programs.

I am saddened as I relive these years of gradual lessening of conviction, less separation from the worlds lifestyle, lack of burden for the lost, and general complacency for building the Kingdom of God. Churches of all sizes fall prey to this new, unnamed movement among evangelical churches in America. But, this book is dedicated to addressing the smaller church of less than 200.

The smaller church makes up the majority of churches in America. If these churches would experience a genuine, Holy Spirit led re-birth, we could once again see the church of God march forward and make an impact on this nation. There are a number of how to books on the market to grow your church. This is not that kind of book. The honest simple truth is we are not ready for growth ideas yet. We must first rebuild the very foundation upon which our local churches rest.

Im of the opinion that will not happen short of a radical change in our thinking. Again, were not referring to the modern movement of this new church philosophy being propagated. Rather were referring to a returning to a biblical based philosophy, a foundation that has been proven over the decades. The following chapters will deal with some radical changes that will have to be made in order to see this change come about. Some that read this book will get mad. Some may be offended. Numbers will no doubt disagree with parts of it.

But, when you get as sick as many of our churches are these days, it often takes major surgery before we can get well.

Its not the intention of the book to alienate anyone. On the contrary, I have spent my life around pastors and churches and love them dearly. I have preached in well over 400 different churches in my ministry. I have met hundreds of pastors. I love pastors and I love working with them. I love the local church and the people that make up the church. And it grieves me as I preach 40 Sundays a year in various churches and see distinct groups of people sitting in the audience.

I see those seniors that remember how it used to be and wish it could be that way again. I see them as they try and be a part of a new movement that is so foreign to what they knew growing up. They miss the prayer meetings, the great revivals, the Spirit filled evangelists, the powerful messages of old.

Then I see the middle aged crowd that are watching their church stagnate and dont know what to do about it. They still remember great Sunday Schools, godly Sunday School teachers, and preachers they respected and honored. They are at a loss as to what to do and often express concern for their church.

Then I see the younger families as they think this is the way church is supposed to be. They have not experienced anything different, so they fall in line with the deadness that permeates so many services. They gravitate to churches that have programs because there isnt genuine Bible teaching where they attend. They will not and cannot change without direction.

Then I see the teens and children and grieve so much for them. Rarely do we see a young man in the teen department that God has called to preach and excited about his calling. Seldom do we see young ladies excited about becoming a missionary. We see teens living on the edge of the world culture rather than wholly living for Christ, in love with God and excited to be saved. Rarely do we see teens with a strong testimony for the Lord. How long since weve seen a teenager that wins 15 or 20 other teens to the Lord every year?

So, I hope you will read this little book knowing that it comes from a heart that loves God and His church. Its not to make anyone angry or even feel bad, unless thats whats needed to get right with God and build His church in a biblical manner.